


The Man in the Iron Maiden Shirt (The Man in the Iron Maiden Shirt Remix)

by IreneADonovan



Series: Remixes 2018 [4]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Canon Disabled Character, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Charles in a Wheelchair, Erik is crushing harder than a 12 year old girl, First Meetings, Flirting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-05 04:36:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15162815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IreneADonovan/pseuds/IreneADonovan
Summary: Erik sees Charles in an Iron Maiden shirt and just has to get to know him...





	The Man in the Iron Maiden Shirt (The Man in the Iron Maiden Shirt Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annejumps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annejumps/gifts).
  * Inspired by [the man in the iron maiden shirt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259772) by [annejumps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annejumps/pseuds/annejumps). 
  * In response to a prompt by [annejumps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annejumps/pseuds/annejumps) in the [xmen_remix_madness2018](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmen_remix_madness2018) collection. 



> I know the original story was inspired by that lovely pic of Fassy in a Maiden shirt, but I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if it was Charles wearing said shirt...

Erik couldn't help but notice the man in the Iron Maiden shirt. Later, he'd joke that it was purely about the music, but the reality was all about the man.

Erik first saw him from across the café, a man in a wheelchair laughing with the cashier. It was the laugh that made him look up from his tablet, but it was the man himself that captured his attention (though the shirt helped). The shirt itself was grey, paired with dark-wash jeans and a pair of classic Chuck Taylors. The man was compactly built, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. His hair was shaggy and thick, a deep brown shot through with amber and russet and falling in untidy waves nearly to his shoulders. His eyes were wide, cobalt, with a long fringe of dark lashes. His lips were the color of raspberries, and nearly as plump.

Erik could feel all the metal about his person – the impure alloy in his sunglass frames, the precision mechanism of his wristwatch, assorted coins and paperclips along with a really nice pen in the bag on the back of his chair, and then the chair itself, made of some high-tech alloy that sang to Erik's metal-sense.

He noticed Erik staring, held his gaze for a moment, gave a subtle nod, then he smiled. Erik smiled back, a little cautiously – he had been told his smile was intimidating, even scary – but the man didn't seem put off. He said one last thing to the cashier, collected his cup, and wheeled straight toward Erik.

He stopped in front of the empty spot across from Erik – Erik's favorite trick to avoid company was to move chairs, but this time he was glad it wouldn't work. “Mind if I join you?” the man asked. “It's a bit crowded in here.” His accent was English; his voice, rich as honey.

The café was less than half full.

Erik shrugged, feigning disinterest. “Go for it.”

The man smiled as he set his cup on the table; Erik caught a whiff of tea. Then the man leaned forward, extended a hand. “I'm Charles, by the way.”

Erik shook his hand. “Erik. With a k.” Charles' grip was firm and sure; his hands, small and square and lightly callused.

“What brings you to this corner of the world? I know I'd remember seeing you in here before.”

Erik sipped his coffee. “I had a meeting with a client round the corner.”

“So you're a lawyer?”

Erik shook his head. “Architect. You?”

“Genetics professor.”

“Really? You look too young.”

“Thank you, I think.”

Erik smiled. “Especially in that shirt.” The shirt did make him look even younger, but mostly the thin fabric clung lovingly to his broad shoulders and toned muscles. His pecs were to die for, and Erik would happily sink his teeth into one of those sculpted delts during a moment (or hour, or night) of passion.

Charles looked puzzled. “My shirt?” He glanced down, as if seeing the Maiden shirt for the first time. “Oh. This is my sister's shirt. I spent last night at her place, rather unexpectedly.”

Erik raised a brow.

“My date and I had a rather spectacular blow-up. I went to Raven's to drown my sorrows in cheap scotch and bad movies, then I fell asleep on her couch.”

“He's a fool, whoever he is.”

Charles sighed. “Better I found out what kind of person he is now than six months from now.”

“Dare I ask?”

Charles hesitated.

“Never mind,” Erik said and swiftly changed the subject. “So I take it you're not a Maiden fan.”

Charles shook his head as his fingers brushed over the skeleton on the front of the shirt. “Never got into metal.”

“Pity. But maybe I can change your mind,”

Charles smiled, a little cheekily. “You can try.”

“I should take you to a concert for our first date. A metal concert is a mind-blowing experience.”

“More like eardrum-blowing.”

“Metal is a beautiful thing.” _Like you._

Charles gave him an odd look, and his cheeks grew brighter. “You seem to have quite the affinity for metal.”

 _More than you know._ Erik hesitated but a moment before acting. Better to know now than to move forward and discover only later this beautiful-seeming man was just another mutantphobe.

His spoon rose, hovered a bare inch above the table, then reshaped into a long-stemmed rose that he floated into Charles' hand.

“You're a mutant,” Charles said, clearly stunned, and Erik feared he'd made a huge mistake. Then those cherry lips parted in a broad grin. _Splendid._ The word echoed inside Erik's mind.

“You're a telepath.”

 _Yes._ Charles lifted his cup to his lips, took a long swallow. “I hope that's not a problem.”

“Never.” Erik lifted his own cup in salute. “I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”


End file.
